3/28/07 - Reel Rides
UpdateI just received my most recent Reel
Rides e-mail newsletter. Here's what a spokesperson had to say about
the issue of the inconsistent scale of the first wave:

You asked for it and you got
it. Some of our observant collectors noticed our 1:64 scale cars were
slightly larger than normal. We appreciate the feedback and will convert all
future releases to the REAL 1:64 scale.

That's great news
about Reel Rides correcting the scale on future releases. I've
e-mailed them with a number of questions. I'll post the responses when
I get them.

Borg Sphere

3/27/07 - Star Trekkin'A post over at the
HobbyTalk forum revealed the assortment slated for the 4th release of
Johnny Lightning's Star Trek series. The wave, scheduled for
September, will include the following:

3/25/07 - Weekend ScoresFirst, thanks goes out to my cousin
Kim who spotted the Reel Rides '70 GTO Judge from Dazed and Confused
at a Wal*Mart store near her. It's nice to have a small army out there
helping me to look for new things. Also, my friend Kevin has a Kroger
Connection and called me to tell me he picked up a Hot Wheels Batmobile for
me. What's interesting about this one is that it's on the First Editions
card instead of the New Models card. The First Editions card seems to
be harder to find as of late, if you can find one at all. Personally, I still haven't seen a Batmobile in any store, so thanks goes out to Kevin.

3/23/07 - Road Trip!Jamestown, Here We Come! I know
this barely qualifies as die-cast news, but regular visitors to this site
know that I occasionally take road trips. I've been a huge fan of I
Love Lucy practically my whole life. I especially love the
episodes where the gang traveled to Hollywood. (I sure wish someone would
create a die-cast version of Ricky's '55 Pontiac Star Chief Convertible.)
I decided to take a one-day trip to Lucy's birthplace of Jamestown, NY.
My buddy Marv came along and we had a blast. We visited Lucy's
childhood home in Celoron, as well as the
Lucy-Desi Museum,
the Desilu Playhouse (in which they had reproductions of some of the sets
from I Love Lucy), and finally, Lucy's gravesite, where her ashes
were placed after being moved from Los Angeles. I highly recommend
this trip to anyone who considers themselves a Lucy fan. Jamestown is
a beautiful little city with a lot to see and do. Lucy/Desi Days are
scheduled to take place May 25, 26 & 27. Check out my pics below:

It was odd to see the I Love Lucy set in
color!

Ah, that's more like it.

3/21/07 - New 2-Pack from
The BatmanFor you Batman fans, be on the lookout
for another Hot Wheels 2-Pack from The Batman animated series.
This one features a unique Batmobile and Temblor's Hummer.

3/20/07 - Today's Finds!Took a drive to one of the Wal*Mart
stores listed on Reel Rides' store list and found all but one of the
first series in 1:64 scale (I didn't see the other scales.) The only
one I didn't see was the GTO Judge from Dazed & Confused. My
reaction? I like them, but to describe these cars as 1:64 scale is a
little misleading. Only the Porsche Speedster from Top Gun
seems close to 1:64 scale. The other cars seem closer to 1:55 scale
and DWARF the cars in my collection. Check out the comparison to
Johnny Lightning's Smokey & The Bandit Trans-Am (right.) My
favorite of the bunch is the Plymouth GTX from Tommy Boy, since that film is
one of my all-time favorite comedies. I'm glad someone is
picking up where RC2 has left off, although I think some improvements can be
made in regards to scale. I'm looking forward to future
releases, and maybe with your input we can help decide what will be
included.

3/15/07 - Sponsor NewsSponsor Movie Car Mania has gotten in
a supply of 1:64 scale vehicles from The Sopranos. Click on the
link in the right column to go shopping.

3/13/07 - Reel Rides
UpdateReel Rides' Top Gun '58 Porsche
Speedster has begun showing up on eBay, and I've heard that the Smokey &
The Bandit Trans-Am has been spotted in stores as well. Keep an
eye on a Wal*Mart near you, since these are an exclusive. I got a
reply from Reel Rides' Tina in response to an e-mail I sent. Here's
what she had to say:

We wanted to thank you again for your email and excitement for Reel Rides.
As mentioned in our initial email, we have received a great response from
the collector world and hope that the awareness will continue to rise. We
took a look at your site and are extremely impressed by how expansive and
detailed it is. We will certainly take a look at your wishlist for future
phases and hope to develop a relationship with you and your site going
forward.

Thanks,
Reel Rides Staff

3/12/07 - Cars
Gallery UpdatedI finally completed the set of Target
exclusive Cars Easter Eggs with the discovery of a lone Chick egg
today. The pics have been added to the
Cars Gallery.

3/11/07 - Casino Royale
on DVD + Bonus!While visiting the
Matchbox Collectors' Community, I discovered this ad. Apparently,
Best Buy will be giving away a die-cast Aston Martin DBS (probably a Corgi)
with the purchase of Casino Royale on DVD, which comes out on
Tuesday, March 13. Get there early, supplies are limited!

3/9/07 - Holy RAOK,
Batman!A very special thanks goes out to Mark
of RaceGrooves for
being kind enough to send me a Batmobile. His random act of kindness
helps sooth the frustration of not being able to find this car at any store
in my area. I hit Target, Wal*Mart, K-Mart, Toys R Us, Meijer and even
Kroger multiple times per week and come up EMPTY time after time, while
others across the country are snatching up Batmobiles by the dozen.
Sigh. Anyhoo, thanks to Mark's generosity, I was able to free the
Batmobile from its plastic prison and have some fun with the camera.
Click on the thumbnails below:

3/9/07 - Coming to a store
NEAR YOU!Longtime contributor Metro Privratsky
sent me a link that has me salivating! I heard rumors about this, but
I finally got confirmation! Check THIS out:

The best studios in Hollywood
have joined forces to bring you Reel Rides, a hot, new line of die-cast
cars. Featured in 1:24, 1:64, and 1:87 scales, these cars will be a
great addition to your existing collection, or a great way start to one. We
made sure to pick the best cars from the best movies to provide you with a
line unlike anything else in the collector world. Check out the little known
movie and car facts on select packaging.

3/7/07 - Great Cars
ResourceBrowsing around online I came across
this great resource for those who collect the characters from the Pixar film
Cars. The forum has a ton of information and pics about the
cars that have been released by Mattel and images of characters yet to be
done. I'm sure I'll be visiting it often. Click on the banner
above to visit.

3/4/07 - Spotted on eBayBrowsing eBay, I spotted several
auctions for this RD-10 Batmobile out of Malaysia (I assume test runs from
the factory.) I tried to bid on it, but the bidding got a little out
of my range. The first time I saw this car was on the back of the
Batman Transporter (right.) It's a repaint from the Acceleracers
line from 2005. I'll try to find out when this will hit the states.